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Peter Davidson was born in Staten Island on November 16, 1993, and raised Catholic.

Davidson’s father, Scott Davidson, a firefighter in Brooklyn Heights, died on 9/11. He was attempting to evacuate survivors when the Marriot World Trade Center Hotel collapsed on him. Pete was only 7 at the time and claims that he acted out in school to deal with his anger over his father’s passing. Davidson has 343, his father’s firefighting unit number, tattooed on his arm. Years later, Davidson would lead the campaign criticizing fellow comedian Steve Rannazzisi’s false 9/11 claims.

To cope with his severe teenage depression, Davidson started listening to rap and writing jokes. However, he was hesitant to try out his material in part because it was so personal. His friends finally convinced him to perform at a Staten Island bowling alley when Davidson was 16.

Davidson was discovered by comedian Nick Cannon, who brought Davidson on his radio show and improv-based TV show Wild N’ Out. From there Davidson performed stand-up on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Gotham Comedy Live, Adam Devine’s House Party, and Comedy Underground with Dave Attell.

In 2014, Davidson was announced as a featured member on SNL’s 40th season. He was only twenty at the time, making him one of the youngest cast members ever and the only current featured player born in the nineties. He typically plays up his youth in his appearances, especially on Weekend Update, where he has described himself as the show’s stoned younger brother.

Davidson openly talks about his marijuana use on and off stage. In 2016, he told High Times that he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a painful gastrointestinal disease that affects appetite, when he was 17 and that marijuana helped combat the side effects of the disease better than any prescribed drugs. He added that performing without weed is possible but not pleasurable.

However, in his 2016 Comedy Central Special SMD, he joked that he went to rehab as a Christmas gift to his mother and expressed an interest in moving away from his druggie persona.

In a 2017 Instagram post, Davidson announced that he was sober for the first time in 8 years. A few days later, he confirmed his sobriety on SNL and announced his excitement about finally having boners in the morning.